Mom of woman whose body was found in a suitcase on Long Island demanding a murder charge
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. -- A Long Island mother told CBS News New York exclusively on Saturday, weeks after her daughter's body was found in a suitcase, she wants more charges for the man who was arrested.
The man police arrested was renting an apartment in the building, but so far he's only been charged with concealment of a corpse. That means, if convicted, he could be a free man in just a few years.
"I want a murder charge because she didn't kill herself," said Yolanda Terrell, Jones' mother.
So who did kill Jones? Police arrested a building resident, 41-year-old Ronald Schroeder, at Penn Station on Sept. 6, after he went to lost and found to retrieve his backpack, which, investigators say, contained illegal drugs.
A grand jury indicted him for criminal possession of a controlled substance and concealment of a corpse. He is being held on a $500,000 cash bond and is due back in court in Riverhead on Oct. 16.
"So then he'll be out, walking the street, doing it to somebody else," Terrell said.
How did Seikeya Jones die?
It's still unclear how Jones died as there has been no word from the medical examiner.
Investigators did reveal her remains were found partially decomposed and that her wrists and ankles were bound with a cord.
Adding to the pain, Terrell said her daughter suffered from mental health issues and battled addiction, last speaking to her on Aug. 16.
"I was trying to get her to go back to the hospital. I came up to her and I was like, 'Keya, you really need to let me take you back to the hospital.' And she was like, 'I ain't going back to the hospital. The medication makes me crazy,'" Terrell said.
Terrell said she hasn't heard from the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, but in a statement to the media, DA Ray Tierney wrote, "This case is immensely troubling. Ms. Jones and her family deserve a full investigation. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that the victim and her family receive justice."
"What would you want to happen if this was your own child and somebody did this? You would want justice and you would want a murder charge," Terrell said.
CBS News New York is still waiting to hear back from Schroeder's attorney.